I’ve had something on my mind recently. Whether to keep my PlayStation Plus subscription up to date or to perhaps go without. Sure I love the many deals and discounts I receive through the PlayStation Store when purchasing new games, but I rarely take part in the online functionality, opting for couch co-op and single player experiences instead. However, the most prominent factor in casting doubt over this subscription service is the lack of enticing monthly freebies. When I first signed up for PlayStation Plus in 2011, I was immediately able to download the likes of Red Dead Redemption and Infamous 2. Now in the month of August 2017, I have to settle with Snakeball and Super Motherload.

With an intro like that, you can tell this is going to be a disappointing month for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The heavy hitters this month are Just Cause 3 and Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry. Just Cause 3 seems like a bombastic wrecking ball of fun at a glance. But like I said in my review for the game when it released in 2015, “Just Cause 3 offered players the tools to creatively destroy the world in whatever manner they saw fit. However with lazy storytelling, boring mission design and unacceptable performance issues, Just Cause 3 will deservedly fade away into obscurity.” So if you’re looking for an enticing open world experience, Just Cause 3 might be able to provide a few hours of fun before it inevitably bugs out.

Freedom Cry, on the other hand, isn’t a particularly bad game. It continues on the naval combat and action/stealth formula of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag (arguably the best Assassin’s Creed title) through a standalone expansion. However, instead of playing as Edward Kenway you will now take on Adewale, Kenway’s right-hand man from Black Flag. Set 15 years after the base game, you’ll need to find a crew and ship to aid in your quest of freeing slaves. It’s a solid experience but only lasts around 3 hours in length.

When it comes to the rest of August’s releases, we’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Snake Ball is a 3D, multiplayer version of the classic title Snake. Super Motherload is a co-op digging game. Downwell is a visually simplistic, vertically scrolling shooter. Level 22 plays with a slightly more interesting concept. As it takes the traditional stealth formula of many classic games but the scenario is instead that you are late for work, and must reach your desk undetected.

So what do you think of August’s PlayStation Plus line up? I myself am a bit underwhelmed, but perhaps there is one or two titles here that peak your interest. For everything on PlayStation Plus and free games, stay tuned to Thenerdstash.com.